Thompson pledges to root out corruption

Thompson pledges to root out corruption

Ken Thompson will become Brooklyn's new district attorney. Eagle file photo

Victorious DA candidate celebrates his big win

By Paula Katinas

Brooklyn Daily Eagle

Fresh from his upset victory of longtime Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes in Tuesday’s Democratic Primary, former federal prosecutor Ken Thompson vowed to root out corrupt public officials and bring them to justice.

Thompson, who defeated Hynes by a wide margin, 55 percent to 45 percent in the primary, told his supporters in his primary night victory speech that Brooklyn can count on him to run a scandal-free ship as district attorney.

“I have never backed away from a tough fight. As DA, I will root out corruption without regard to political or special interest influence and I will do what’s right even when it’s not politically popular,” Thompson, 48, said.

“We have seen too many self-serving politicians who believe they are above the law and compromising our city’s future,” he added.

“As your DA, I will not only fight crime and corruption wherever it exists, but I will also make sure every case is investigated and prosecuted with integrity so that justice prevails. I will take an aggressive approach to protecting the rights of all New Yorkers, so there will no longer be a false choice between public safety and constitutional protections,” Thompson said, blasting the Bloomberg Administration’s controversial stop-and-frisk policy.

The victorious candidate also pledged to bring more transparency to government.

“As district attorney, I will fight to bring transparency, honesty and accountability to the private sector to give Brooklynites the government they deserve,” Thompson said.

Thompson, who as an assistant US attorney in Brooklyn helped prosecute the police officers charged in the Abner Louima case in the late 1990s, said he is proud of his law enforcement record. “I am proud to have been part of the legal team that delivered justice for Abner Louima, after he suffered some of the most horrific acts of police brutality ever committed in the history of New York City,” he said.

Thompson told his supporters that he will work to get guns off the streets so that the public can feel safer. “As DA, I will employ the most innovative ideas when it comes to public safety. That includes a detailed plan to stem the flow of illegal guns into our borough to keep our streets safe and a plan for real community engagement that has been sorely lacking,” he said.

“We are here tonight because we share the spirit of reform,” Thompson said.

Because Brooklyn is an overwhelmingly Democratic borough, Thompson’s victory in the primary is tantamount to a win in November.

Hynes, who has been Brooklyn DA since 1989, was running for a seventh term.

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